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Progress of jigrirnUural Knowledge 



the manufacturers remember the names of men wlio liave im- 

 proved their machinery, Hargreaves or Arkwright — even though 

 their inventions may have been long superseded — we must not for- 

 get what we owe Mr. Beart for his, which is still producing tiles 

 at half cost. The fourth column shows the outlay required for 

 tiles at the high standard — 50.5". for tiles, and 30.v. for soles. 



At this reduced price of tiles the cost of thorough-drainage 

 certainly no longer appears formidable, for the greater portion of 

 our land which requires to be drained would be laid sufficiently 

 dry by drains cut at intervals of 44, 33, and 22 feet. I know 

 many farms, the whole character and management of which 

 would be permanently changed by drains cut at 33 feet apart ; 

 this could be done for the very moderate cost of 3/. 3^. per acre. 

 The greatest number of drains that can usually occur (16^ feet 

 interval, or 4 furlongs per acre) cost only 6/. 6s. I must admit, 

 however, that on very strong land it may be necessary to fill in 

 with stones over the tiles, which raises the cost of workmanship 

 from 3|c?. to 6cZ. per pole, that is, from X\s. Sd. to 1/. per furlong. 

 But, if the ground be sloping, broken stones may be used alone, 

 where they are to be found near at hand. In many districts flat 

 stones are common, which may be set upright in the drain, so as 

 to give the same free current as tiles, Avithout their expense. Mr. 

 Holcomb states that he has used mere wedges of peat,y which cost 

 only 6^". per thousand, as substitutes for tiles. The Duke of Rich- 



* This calculation has been made by ascertaining the expense of cutting 

 one drain of 40 poles in length ; the price of labour being usually calculated 

 per pole : and 40 poles, or 1 furlong, are the length of an acre when the breadth 

 is 06 feet. If the price of labour or the cost of tiles be higher than is rated 

 in the table, an addition must of course be made to the estimate for the 

 single furlong ; but when the cost of one furlong is ascertained, the expense 

 of draining at the different distances is easily seen. — For more detailed 

 calculations see Mr. Stephens's ' Book of the Farm,' chap. 28. Some addi- 

 tion may be required for breakage and for main drains. The carriage of 

 the tiles is not included because it is not considerable, and would therefore 

 be done by the ordinary horses of the farm. 



t Mr. Pym, however, has found that some peat drains he has made in 

 Bedfordshire have fallen in. The field is subject to floods, which had backed 

 up in the drains. 



